by Cadence Vonn
His mother kept pulling him into conversations with available women, all insipid creatures who knew how to bat their eyelashes and bow their heads in submission. When Tess stood in front of him her eyes never once left his face. Her gaze had assessed every inch of his features while she irritated his mother with her blunt answer. Her name would never show up on a prospective wife list for him. His mother would see to that. But he didn’t care about her as a wife. Oh, the things he’d love to do with her.
Maximilian strolled among the guests, keeping one eye on Tess’s sultry hips. He looked down to answer a question from an older woman, and when he looked up again, Chris and Tess had disappeared. He moved to the edge of the terrace and scanned the grounds. The beautiful brunette and his blond-headed cousin were nowhere in sight. He pivoted on his heel, and his gaze came to rest on the open French doors. That was the only way they could have gone if they didn’t pass him or go out into the yard.
He grabbed a glass of champagne off the tray of a passing waiter and moved into the house, scanning the sea of people for his elusive beauty. He hesitated. She wasn’t his anything…yet. He made it to the hall and spotted Christopher in front of the door to the library. He quickly stepped into an alcove so his cousin wouldn’t see him. The man looked from side to side and walked away. Maybe Chris and Tess had…Hell, that was impossible. He shook his head and scoffed. Christopher was gay, or Maximilian would eat his hat.
He straightened his jacket and eased the door open to the cool, quiet room. The vision of Tess sitting on the window seat with her bare feet tucked under her lush ass had him adjusting his pants, looking for relief from the sudden strain of the zipper.
“Hello.”
Tess jumped, and her hand jerked from the book to cover her heart.
“I didn’t mean to startle you. I just came in to get away from the constant chatter in the other rooms.”
Her smile widened. “I hope you don’t mind me sitting here. Your library is amazing, and I’m not one for crowds.”
“What are you reading?”
“My favorite poet. Rainer Maria Rilke.”
“Ah, Duino Elegies. That book is one of his best. Read me your favorite passage.” He sat on the other side of the window seat and relaxed back like a prince waiting to be entertained. The champagne in his glass glistened as the sunlight danced off the bubbles.
Tess swallowed hard. His gaze unnerved her. His broad shoulders overwhelmed the tiny space, and she wanted nothing more than to lean against his chest and listen to his heart beating. Did its pace match hers?
She flipped through the pages and started reading from the Second Elegy.
The lilting words were about lovers and satisfaction. The beauty of sensations from the merest touch. Her voice rose and fell with the poetic thoughts about passion. The author questioned his connection with the woman he loved. Hands touching, breaths mingling, a promise of eternity. What more could a couple want? She couldn’t keep a note of wonder from her voice when she read the last words. She finished, set the book down on her lap, and waited for Maximilian to comment. Could the man have a romantic bone in his body if he lined up women to pick out a wife?
“Your voice is hypnotic. Interesting choice in passages. Read me another one.”
She fought the urge to flip the page and read more about love and eternity. Maximilian’s presence took her breath away as he leaned closer to her, expectation written on his face. She bit her lower lip, tempted to oblige, but changed her mind. Damn, she could use a glass of champagne. “I think we’d better return to your guests. Your mother is probably looking for you, and if she found the two of us here in the library, she wouldn’t be pleased.”
He laughed. “You’re right.” He stood and held out his hand. “Let me show you a special place before we return to the rabid pack of husband hunters.”
“Apparently you put up with that type of thing. I don’t see you leaving.” Tess slipped on her shoes and put the book away then turned and waited. The next move was his.
“This way.” He pointed in the direction of a corner bookshelf, its frame a little different from the rest of the shelves. Tess took his hand, and he led her into the darkness that appeared with the shift of a book on the middle shelf.
“Secret passages, how delicious.” Her hand still grasped in his, she climbed two narrow flights of stairs. “We must be close to the top of the house.”
“You’re right. The staircase leads to the nursery.” They emerged into a room with child-sized furniture, all covered with drop cloths.
“You wanted to show me the nursery?” Tess smirked.
“No. Come on, we’re almost there.” Maximilian left the room and continued down a hall. He stopped at an old varnished ladder bolted to the wall at a gentle angle. It had brass rails for the climber. “Follow me.” He hesitated at the top to push aside the hatch in the ceiling, and light flooded the hallway. He climbed through and reached down, grabbed under her arms, and lifted her the rest of the way into the space. For a moment his touch made her pulse beat faster until she got a glimpse out the windows.
She stepped across the small, glass-enclosed widow’s walk, mesmerized by all the different shades that flooded the space from the water and sky. “This is phenomenal. The view of the ocean goes on forever.”
“For some reason, I knew you’d like it. Being this close to the sky, your eyes have turned a deeper blue. Amazing color,” he murmured.
“Maximilian.” She hesitated and then said, “Does anyone ever call you Max?”
“Never.”
Her shoulders sagged.
He lifted her chin and gave her a devilish grin. “But if you let me kiss you, you can call me Max.”
She tilted her head at him. “Even though you know I came with Chris, you still want to kiss me?”
“We both know you and Christopher are not sexually compatible. So yes, in answer to your question.”
“For a kiss, I can call you Max?”
“Only when we’re alone.”
“Since that will be for the next five minutes at most, I don’t think it’s a fair bargain, Maximilian.” She swished her tongue over her top lip, and his gaze narrowed. Yes, teasing him satisfied her naughty streak.
“What if I include dinner in the city some night?”
“Now it’s a little more enticing. Dinner and a kiss…be still my heart.” She rested her hand on her chest, and his hooded gaze followed the gesture that drew his attention to her ample breasts. She made no move to bring his gaze back to hers. Let him salivate over what he wanted.
“What do I need to do for a kiss?”
With a tilt of her head and an exaggerated sigh, she said, “Would your kiss even be worth it? Are you a good lover?”
Max pulled her up against his chest and growled. “Let me show you.”
His mouth found hers in a hard kiss. Shocked, she widened her eyes. As he deepened the kiss, her eyelids fluttered closed. He tasted like champagne and a hint of mint. The heat from his body made the small space warmer. He sank his hands into her hair to hold her in place and tilted her head at the perfect angle to drive his tongue in deeper. She moaned.
His hand snaked down her body, lifted her dress, and exposed her barely covered bottom. When his fingers delved inside her silk thong, she clung to his arms so she wouldn’t faint.
The straight-laced man she teased a moment ago disappeared. In his place, an experienced lover held her close to his hard body. He nipped her neck. His hand lowered the zipper of her dress, and he pushed it down off her breasts with his mouth. Hard lips wrapped around her nipple and sucked until a wave of exquisite pain made her arch her back to seek more torture. His chuckle vibrated against her skin, and she whimpered with frustration as he placed a trail of tiny kisses over to the other breast.
“Patience, love. I’m enjoying myself.”
Her knees trembled and he eased her down on the seat cushion. The sunlight reflected off his hair as he buried his face against her other breas
t, sending goose bumps over her skin. He sucked and his hard cock dug into her thigh. When his fingers found her clit, her body reacted like fireworks on the Fourth of July. He captured her scream with a hungry kiss. She clung to his neck, drinking in his taste like a woman dying for water.
“Max.” She caressed his cheek and rested her head on the soft cushion, Sated, she closed her eyes while she caught her breath. The sound of voices outside drifted up to the loft. A minute later she sat up and said, “We’d better get downstairs.” She adjusted her dress and re-zipped the back. “Is there a bathroom on this floor?”
“Right below us.”
She stood in front of him and pushed down her skirt, hiding the view of her delicate skin. “I’ll look forward to you calling me about dinner.” She reached into her clutch and pulled out her card. “That’s my number on the bottom. I’ll find my way through the nursery—you’d better go a different way.”
She stopped before she climbed down the ladder and said, “Thank you, Max.” She leaned down, gave him a brief kiss then traversed the ladder like an expert.
Maximilian leaned back on his heels, stunned to find himself alone, the sweet taste of Tess’s kiss still on his lips. He fisted his hands and took a deep breath. “Fuck.”
Chapter Two
That evening, no matter how much Maximilian washed his hands, Tess’s scent lingered in his memory. The woman turned his day upside down when she uttered his name in her sensual, aroused voice. It had taken him a half hour before he got his libido under control and he could show his face, and other parts of his body, in the crowd.
All the women’s voices he heard the rest of the day sounded like screeching seagulls circling for the kill. Not getting another glimpse of Tess, he finally told his mother he was leaving with a raging headache and headed to his apartment in Boston.
He fell across his bed and rested his arm over his eyes to try and shut out the vision of Tess coming apart in his arms; all flushed, beautiful, and satisfied—unlike him. The ache in his groin hadn’t subsided.
He sat up and pulled Tess’s card out of his shirt pocket. With more than dinner on his mind, he dialed her number.
****
Tess sank into a tub of hot water with two handfuls of lavender bath salts thrown in for good measure. Every nerve in her body tingled from Max’s touch. His masterful fingers and mouth had turned her inside out and brought her to a blazing-star climax in a matter of minutes.
The experience unnerved her. None of the few lovers she’d had in the past were anywhere near Max’s prowess, all of them rank amateurs compared to him. She closed her eyes and rested her head against her towel pillow.
The jingle of her cellphone next to her ear disturbed the quiet of the room. She dried off her hand and pressed the button without looking to see who called.
“Good evening, Tess. Did you enjoy your day?”
She sat up, and the water splashed over the top of the tub in a rolling wave. “Max?”
“I love the sound of my name on your lips. Are you alone?”
“I hope so because I’m taking a bath.” She regained her composure and relaxed, the towel pillow behind her head cradled it in warm comfort.
“Mm,” came across the line. The vibration of the two letters filled Tess’s head with erotic thoughts of his lips against her breast.
“Did you have a nice afternoon, Max?”
“For a few minutes. Then a sexy seductress tied me in knots and left me panting for release.”
She stifled a giggle. “Oh, Max, she deserves to be punished. Do you know where to find her?” He sucked in his breath; the ragged sound teased her ear.
“She only left her number behind. But I owe her a dinner. Maybe I should plan some kind of special evening that concludes with a good spanking.”
She couldn’t restrain her nervous giggle. “I can’t imagine a man like Maximilian spanking a woman.”
“Perhaps Max would be the type of man to bend you over his lap and spank your ass until it turns pink?”
“After this afternoon, I can imagine Max enjoying the sensation of his hand causing sparks to fly between our skin. When were you planning this punishment?”
“I wish it could be sooner, but I’m not free until Friday. Are you free then?”
“Alas, no. Maybe another time.”
“When?”
“I’m very busy altering costumes for a show that is due to open in a few weeks. I can’t say exactly when.”
“You can’t give me an hour of your time?”
Max’s irritated voice made Tess bite her lip so she wouldn’t laugh. “I can meet you for coffee some morning.”
“It’s difficult for me to get away in the morning.”
“Then I guess we’re destined to be two ships that passed in the night. It was nice to have met you, Max. I wish you luck in your hunt for the perfect wife.”
“Goodbye, Tess.”
****
Maximilian hung up and paced in front of the large bed. A perfect wife was not what he had in mind. He wanted Tess. Maybe once he satisfied his craving for the voluptuous brunette, he would agree to a woman of his mother’s choice.
For now, he needed a strategy. One that would make her ache for him as much as he wanted her.
He scrolled through his contacts and hit the button next to his cousin’s name. “Christopher, Maximilian here.”
“Hello, cousin. Nice party today.”
“My mother’s parties are always well attended.” He rolled his eyes, frustrated with the small talk required to get the information he needed.
“I’m sure you didn’t call to talk about the party, and since you never call me at home, you must have something special to discuss.”
“I wanted to find out if you and Tess are serious.”
“We’re very good friends. Neither one of us is looking for anything serious at the moment, so we have fun together.”
“Are you two a couple?”
“I don’t kiss and tell.”
His cousin could be a bastard, but he gritted his teeth before he continued. “Tell me some things about her. Where does she work? Does she date other men besides you?”
“Don’t you think you should be asking her?”
“Christopher.” The man’s name stuck in his throat. Being nice wasn’t in his repertoire for gaining information he needed. “I would like to get to know Tess better. Where does she live? Would you at least give me her address?”
“I’ll have to ask her if she minds. Can I call you back after I call her?”
Maximilian growled and said, “Fuck, never mind.”
****
Tess closed her eyes as she soaked in the scented water. She crossed her legs to relieve the memory of Max’s fingers dancing over her skin.
Her phone rang again, and she saw Chris’s name on her ID screen. “Chris, are you all right?”
“You won’t believe who just called me.”
“Maximilian.”
“Wait, how did you know?” He sounded like a petulant child, and she laughed.
“I spoke with him earlier. He asked me out, but I told him I didn’t have the time to get together with him. I also wished him good luck with his wife hunting.”
“Shit, you fueled his desire. You gave him a challenge, and he loves challenges.”
“Christopher, there is something you should know.”
“Ah, oh. When you call me Christopher, I know you have something outrageous to tell me.”
“I suppose it’s outrageous.”
She chuckled and hesitated before she said, “He and I had a little tryst in the tower of his mother’s house this afternoon.”
“What do you mean by tryst? Did you two go at it on the widow’s walk?”
“Well, he satisfied me, but I left him needing a release.”
“Oh lord, Tess, why on earth would you poke a grizzly bear?”
“I wanted to call him Max, and one thing led to another. He’s quite proficient with his
fingers, and he loved the way I said his name.”
“So now what? He’ll be on the hunt and nothing—I mean nothing—will get in his way of having what he wants.”
“Then we should give him something to stew about. When’s the next function where the two of you will cross paths?”
“Next weekend. I’m attending the gala for Cancer Research. I’m sure Maximilian will be there as well. Why?”
“Do you need a date?”
“Always. You are a devious devil. What do you plan on accomplishing? Remember, you will never be the perfect wife for Maximilian.”
“I’m not looking for a husband. But the least you could do is stop reminding me I’m not considered worthy of him. After all, my father had a duke from some country lined up for me to marry. I think that trumps Max any day.”
“However, a woman can dream of having the consummate lover in her bed.” And she was sure the dream she’d have tonight would be erotic.
“I guess you know what you’re doing with your heart. I don’t want to pick up the pieces when he hands you a diamond bracelet and never calls again.”
“I’ll hold out for a necklace with diamonds and emeralds.”
His shocked cough danced near her ear.
“I’m kidding! I’d never accept jewelry for sleeping with a man unless he was my husband. I don’t sell my body. Besides, don’t you enjoy having the upper hand with Maximilian? You can flaunt me under his nose and see how long it takes for his arrogant shell to crack.”
“Fine. But I won’t rescue you when he sweeps you off your feet and hauls you into his cave to have his way with you.”
“I don’t plan on getting caught. But if I did, he would be my first choice of ravisher.”
Chris let out an audible sigh. “Someone is going to get hurt in this little game. I hope it isn’t you. I don’t want you to go running off to London or Italy.”